Security bollard

ABSTRACT

A security bollard comprising: an outer sleeve arranged to be set in the ground in a generally vertical orientation; a post telescopically or otherwise slidably received within the outer sleeve for movement between respective retracted and extended positions with respect to the sleeve; and locking means which is arranged to lock the post in its extended condition with respect to the sleeve and which is frangible or readily accessible exteriorly of the post, to allow the post to be moved from its extended to its retracted condition with respect to the outer sleeve.

This invention relates to a security bollard of the type comprising an outer sleeve which can be set in the ground and in which is telescopically or otherwise slidably received an inner post which, in its retracted condition, is located within the outer sleeve below ground level and which, in its extended condition, is supported by the outer sleeve in an upright position above ground level, usually with the post being locked in that upright condition

Most security bollards of this type are provided with a locking mechanism for maintaining the inner post in its upright, extended condition, until the post needs to be placed in its retracted condition within the outer sleeve below ground level. Such a locking mechanism usually comprises some form of lock and a separate operating element, such as a key, for operating the lock and locking the post in its extended and/or retracted condition.

One major disadvantage with this known type of security bollard is that in an emergency, when the upright post needs to be retracted very quickly, a key or other operating element has to be found before the locking mechanism can be unlocked to allow the inner post to be retracted into the outer sleeve This is particularly onerous when a key holder has to be found before such unlocking can take place in order to retract the post, thereby expending valuable and unnecessary time.

Also, this known type of security bollard usually has a locking mechanism which protrudes above ground level when the post is retracted, thus exposing itself to undesirable damage by exterior forces.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a security bollard which overcomes, or at least substantially reduces, the disadvantages associated with the known types of security bollard described and discussed above.

Accordingly, the invention provides a security bollard comprising:

-   -   an outer sleeve arranged to be set in the ground in a generally         vertical orientation;     -   a post telescopically or otherwise slidably received within the         outer sleeve for movement between respective retracted and         extended positions with respect to the sleeve; and     -   locking means which is arranged to lock the post in its extended         condition with respect to the sleeve and which is frangible or         readily accessible exteriorly of the post, to allow the post to         be moved from its extended to its retracted condition with         respect to the outer sleeve.

Preferably, the inner post comprises respective outer and inner elongate members of which the outer is telescopically or otherwise slidably received within the outer sleeve and the inner member is rotatable about its longitudinal axis with respect to the outer member between respective unlocking and locking positions.

In a preferred embodiment of security bollard to be described in more detail hereinbelow, the inner member, which is preferably tubular or solid, comprises means, such as a radially-extending spigot(s) which engages with a complementary-shaped slot(s) in the outer sleeve, upon rotation of the inner member with respect to the outer member, to retain the post in its extended condition with respect to the outer sleeve.

When the spigot(s) of the inner member is engaged within the slot(s) and the inner member is rotated, to retain the post in its extended condition with respect to the outer sleeve, the inner member is simultaneously rotated from its unlocking to its locking position with respect to the outer member.

Preferably, the outer and inner elongate members are circular in cross-section and the latter may have a pair of diametrically opposed spigots which engage in respective ones of a pair of slots, which may be generally linear, or possibly dog-legged or cranked, in diagonally-opposed corner regions of a square-cross-sectioned outer sleeve.

The locking means may include, in part, respective apertures in the top ends of the outer and inner members, which apertures are in-register with each other when the inner member is in its locking position and are not in-register with each other when the inner member is in its unlocking position with respect to the outer member.

When the two apertures in the respective top ends of the inner and outer members are in-register with each other, then a frangible or readily-removable element, such as a closed loop of heavy duty wire or the U-shaped arm of a padlock, can be received through the in-register apertures, to maintain the inner member in its locking position with respect to the outer member, thereby retaining the post in its extended condition with respect to the outer sleeve.

In, say, an emergency where the post has to be moved quickly into its retracted condition with respect to the outer sleeve, the exterior, frangible or otherwise-removable element is readily broken or removed by a tool or by hand, to allow the inner member to be rotated with respect to the outer member from its locking to its unlocking position, whilst simultaneously having its spigot(s) rotated and disengaged from the complementary slot(s) in the outer sleeve, so that the post can be telescopically or otherwise slidably retracted with respect to the outer sleeve.

The top end of the post, for example, the top end of the inner member, may be provided with a manoeuvring handle which, when not in use, sits in a correspondingly-shaped recess provided in the top end of the inner member, generally flush therewith.

Thus, when the post is in its retracted condition with respect to the outer sleeve, the handle can lie flush with the top end of the post which, in turn, lies flush with the surface of the surrounding area in which the security bollard is installed.

In order that the invention may be more fully understood, a preferred embodiment of security bollard in accordance therewith will now be described by way of example and with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a partial cross-section of a security bollard installed in the ground, with an inner post in its extended condition;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a section of an outer sleeve of the security bollard; and

FIGS. 3 and 4 are respective plan views of the inner post in its unlocking and locking positions.

Referring firstly to FIG. 1 of the drawings, a security bollard, indicated generally at 1, comprises a square cross-sectioned outer sleeve 2 set generally vertically in the ground 20. An inner post, indicated generally at 3, is slidably mounted within the outer sleeve 2 for telescopic movement between its lower, retracted condition and its upper extended condition, as shown in FIG. 1, with respect to the outer sleeve 2.

The post 3 comprises an outer tube 4 of circular cross-section, which is slidable axially within the outer sleeve 2 but is not rotatable with respect thereto.

The outer circular cross-sectioned tube 4 has a radially extending flange 8 at the top end thereof.

Mounted concentrically within the outer tube 4 is a circularly cross-sectioned inner tube 5 which supports the outer tube 4 and which is rotatable with respect thereto.

The outer and inner tubes 4,5 are movable axially with respect to the outer sleeve 2, in unison with each other.

The bottom end of the inner tube 5 has a pair of diametrically-opposed spigots which protrude radially beyond the bottom end of the outer tube 4 and are engageable, when the post 3 is in its extended condition with respect to the outer sleeve 2, within respective ones of a pair of effectively linear slots 7 in diagonally-opposed corner regions of the square cross-sectioned outer sleeve 2, as shown in FIG. 2.

The inner tube 5 is also provided at its top with a radially outwardly extending flange 9, as shown in FIGS. 1, 3 and 4.

The flange 9 of the inner tube 5 has an aperture 11 passing therethrough, whilst the flange 8 of the outer tube 4 also has an aperture 10 passing therethrough.

When the post 3 is in its retracted condition within the outer sleeve 2, its top end lies generally flush with the surface 21 of the ground 20 in which the bollard 1 is installed.

When the post 3 is raised to its extended condition with respect to the outer sleeve 2, as shown in FIG. 1, the diametrically-opposed pair of spigots 6 of the inner tube 5 move upwardly in diagonally-opposed corners of the sleeve 2, until the post 3 is fully extended and the spigots 6 are at the same level as that as the pair of slots 7 in the outer sleeve 2. In the initially extended condition of the post 3, the apertures 10, 11 in the respective flanges 8 and 9 of the outer and inner tubes 4, 5, are in the unlocked position of the post 3, whereby those apertures 10, 11 are not in-register with each other but spaced angularly by about 90°, as shown in FIG. 3.

The inner tube 5 is then rotated with respect to the outer tube 4, and also with respect to the outer sleeve 2, such that the spigots 6 at the bottom of the inner tube 5 engage in the respective slots 7 in the outer sleeve 2.

Simultaneously, such rotation of the inner sleeve 5 causes the flange 9, and hence the aperture 11, to rotate with respect to the flange and 8 and aperture 10, such that the two apertures 10 and 11 are now in-register with each other, as shown in FIG. 4.

Thus, the post 3 is retained in its extended condition with respect to the outer sleeve 2 and, also, part, namely, the in-register apertures 10, 11, of the mechanism for locking the post 3 in that extended condition, are in a locking position, ready to receive therethrough a frangible or readily-removable element, such as a loop of heavy duty wire or a padlock as shown diagrammatically at 12, to retain the inner tube 5 in its locking position with respect to the outer tube 4, with the outer and inner tubes 4,5 moving in unison with each other.

In an emergency where the post 3 has to be moved quickly into its retracted condition with respect to the outer sleeve 2, the frangible or otherwise removable element is readily broken or removed, for example, by a tool or by hand, to allow the inner tube 5 to be rotated with respect to the outer tube 4 from its locking to its unlocking position, whilst simultaneously having its spigots 6 rotated and disengaged from the complementary slots 7 in the outer sleeve 2. Thus, the post 3 can be retracted slidably within the outer sleeve 4.

The top end of the post 3, for example, the top end of the inner tube 5, may be provided with a pivotable handle (not shown) which, when not in use sits in a correspondingly-shaped recess (also not shown) provided in the top end of the inner tube 5, generally flush therewith.

Thus, when the post 3 is in its retracted condition with respect to the outer sleeve 2, the handle can lie generally flush with the top end of the post 3 which, in turn, lies generally flush with the surface 21 of the surrounding ground 20 in which the security bollard 1 is installed.

It is to be appreciated that the security bollard described above with reference to the accompanying drawings, may be modified without departing from the concept of the invention defined above.

For example, the functions of the outer and inner tubes 4 and 5 may be transposed, so that the outer tube 4 is rotatable with respect to the inner tube 5, with that outer tube 4 bearing the spigots 6 for engagement with the slots 7. 

1. A security bollard comprising: an outer sleeve arranged to be set in the ground in a generally vertical orientation; a post telescopically or otherwise slidably received within the outer sleeve for movement between respective retracted and extended positions with respect to the sleeve; and locking means which is arranged to lock the post in its extended condition with respect to the sleeve and which is frangible or readily accessible exteriorly of the post, to allow the post to be moved from its extended to its retracted condition with respect to the outer sleeve.
 2. A securing bollard according to claim 1, wherein the inner post comprises respective outer and inner elongate members of which the outer is telescopically or otherwise slidably received within the outer sleeve and the inner member is rotatable about its longitudinal axis with respect to the outer member between respective unlocking and locking positions.
 3. A security bollard according to claim 2, wherein the inner member comprises means arranged to engage with a complementary-shaped slot in the outer sleeve, upon rotation of the inner member with respect to the outer member, to retain the post in its extended condition with respect to the outer sleeve.
 4. A security bollard according to claim 2, wherein the inner member is tubular or solid.
 5. A security bollard according to claim 3, wherein said engaging means comprises a radially-extending
 6. A security bollard according to claim 5, wherein when the spigot of the inner member is engaged within the slot(s) and the inner member is rotated, to retain the post in its extended condition with respect to the outer sleeve, the inner member can be simultaneously rotated from its unlocking to its locking position with respect to the outer member.
 7. A security bollard according to claim 2, wherein the outer and inner elongate members are circular in cross-section.
 8. A security bollard according to claim 7, wherein the inner elongate member has a pair of diametrically opposed spigots which engage in respective ones of a pair of slots in diagonally-opposed corner regions of a square-cross-sectioned outer sleeve.
 9. A security bollard according to claim 8, wherein the pair of slots are linear.
 10. A security bollard according to claim 8, wherein the pair of slots are dog-legged or cranked.
 11. A security bollard according to claim 2, wherein said locking means includes, in part, respective apertures in the top ends of the outer and inner members, which apertures are in-register with each other when the inner member is in its locking position and are not in-register with each other when the inner member is in its unlocking position with respect to the outer member.
 12. A security bollard according to claim 11, wherein, when the two apertures in the respective top ends of the inner and outer members are in-register with each other, a frangible or readily-removable element is receivable through the in-register apertures, to maintain the inner member in its locking position with respect to the outer member, thereby retaining the post in its extended condition with respect to the outer sleeve.
 13. A security bollard according to claim 12, wherein the frangible or readily-removable element comprises a closed loop of heavy duty wire or the U-shaped arm of a padlock.
 14. A security bollard according to claim 1, wherein the top end of the post includes a manoeuvring handle which, when not in use, sits in a correspondingly-shaped recess provided in the top end of the inner member, generally flush therewith. 